Apparatus for nail sorting



June 9, 1931. B. P. COOPER APPARATUS FOR NAIL SORTING Filed Oct. 11, 1927 Patented June 9, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE BASIL roman-y coornaorrnrcnsrnn, ENGLAND, ASSIGNOR rro UNITED SHOE are crrmnnv CORPORATION, or PATERSON, NEW JERSEY, A oonroR-A'rIoN or NEW JERSEY ArnAnA'rUs non NAIL SORTING Application filed October 11, 1927, Serial No. 225,519, and in Great Britain November 9, 1926.

This invention relates to improvements in apparatus for sorting metallic fastenings and is illustrated herein as embodied in a. machine for sortin nails with respect to length.

'6 In the manufacture of nails and other metallic fastenings, it sometimes happens that nailsof different lengths become mixed either through inadvertence on the part of a workman or, in the manufacture of wire nails, through slippage in the operation of the wire feedingmechanism. Such a mixture of nails of varying lengths is practically unsalable even though each individual nail is perfect. Such mixed nails may be sorted for length by hand pic-king but this is a slow and tedious, and therefore expensive, operation. Such attempts as have been made to sort metallic fastenings for length by machiner have involved the handling of the 29 different fastenings as individuals and the speed of the operation has accordingly been limited. 7

' It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved apparatus applicable to the sorting of metallic fastenings in bulk without the necessity of first arranging the fastenings in an orderly series. As illustrated herein this sorting is done by presenting a mass of unsorted fastenings to gaging 30 means provided with shallow pockets each of such dimensions that a fastening of greater than the desired length can not be completely received or inserted in a pocket. If an attempt is made to insert a fastening of greater than the desired length in one of the pockets,

the fastenings will project therefrom and can be easily and expeditiously removed. Preferably and as illustrated, these pockets are circular and a multitude of them are formed in a receptacle into which a mass of the fastenings may be thrown. The receptacle is agitated and many of the fastenings which are not longer than the limit of toleration enter the pockets. All the fastenings not 5 completely within a pocket are then removed, for example brushed, from the pockets and the remaining fastenings, none of which is over the desired length, are deposited in a in this fashion until substantia lly all of the suitable receptacle. The sortin is continued fastenings no longer than the desired length have been removed. The process can be repeated with the longerfastenings if desired using pockets of larger sizes to sort. out nails of other and greater lengths.

The apparatus disclosed, whlch is my preferred embodiment of the invention, comprises a rotary drum the interior of which is provided with a very large number -(hundreds or even thousands) of shallow, Cir cular pockets. As the drum rotates such of the nails as are completely within a pocket retaining plate is preferably supplemented;

by a rotary brush which removes from the pockets such of the over long nails as are partly received within a pocket, these nails then sliding or falling back into the mass of nails in the drum. 1

With the above and other objects and features in view the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings and pointed out inthe claims.-

In the drawings, I Fig. 1 is aside elevation of a portion of a drum for machine sorting of nails;

Fig.2 is a diagrammatic cross-section of the drum of Fig. 1; and p p Fig. 3 is a detail view, also in cross-section, of part of the drum of Fig. 1.

The illustrated apparatus comprises a drum 2 0 rotated in any suitable manner and provided with a large number of shallow cir cular pockets 22. As illustrated, this drum is made up of a sheet metal'cyli'nder 24: (Fig;

3) suitably reinforced and having securedto v its inner surface a cylindrical perforated member 26 the sheet metal 24 forming the bottoms of pockets whose side walls are formed by the perforations in the cylinder 26. A mass .of nails is placed in the drum. 1.

As the drum rotates such of the nails as are short enough enter the pockets and are carriedupwardly as indicated at 28 in Fig. '3.

Any of the nails of greater than the desired length which attempts to enter the pockets.

necessarily projects, as shown for example at V 30. A retaining plate 32 formed as an arc of a cylinder contacts with the interior of the drum and prevents the escape of such of the snails as are completely within the pockets until they have been carried; up pretty well toward the top of the drum. As the pockets pass beyond the top of the retaining plate 82such of thenailsas havebeencarried. up are,

'odropped, into, a. trough 34 extending lengthwise through the drum. The lower edge 36 of the retaining plate 82 is. preferably beveled and serves to remove from the pockets such of the nails as project, this actionipreferably being supplemented by a rotary brush 382 (Fig. 2). After the nails. have. been treated by the drum until nomore (or no substanti a1; number) are'carried up and deposited; into the. trough 34, thenails are removed and treated in a druflmh-aving pockets enough larger to sort out thenext desired length, of nails, or, ifdesired', the drum may be. inclined at such an angle that the sorting-will be complete by thetime the nails introduced at theupper end; have passed throughtothe lower-endof the drumvin which Case the drum may be advantageously provided with a series. of openings 40 at its lower endthroughwhich suchof. the nails as have not beencarried up 30 and; deposited in the trough 3% may page.

T he-difierencein the diameters of the pockets of two successively used. drums should be n0 more thanv the tolerated variation: of" the length of; the nails'of a, given grade. Thus,

'35. if a variation of, of. an. inch is. all that; is;

permissible, after sorting, for example, in a drum havingpockets which Will'lGCQlVfi nails of an inch long and will reject those of; any greater length, they will: next be sorted 4oin, a drum having pockets which. will receive nails up to greater length.

Having described my invention, What; I claim is new and desireto secure: by Letters of" an inch long but of; no

; Patent of the Unitedstates is .z

1. A machine for sortingmetallic fasten lngsv having, 1n combmat1on, a rotary drum.

' provided. with a'plurality of shallow, circ ular pockets of a diameter toreceive onlylthose fasteningsthat are not longerthan the desired length, means for, removing iromthe vicinity ings having a rotary drum arranged to receive fastenings in bulk and provided with a plurality of shallow fasteningreceiving pockets of dimensionsto receive only fastenings that are not longer than a predetermined length, a. brush; to remove from the vicinity of the pockets all fastenings that,

are not wholly withina pocket,and a retaining plate arranged to retain in; the pockets s'uchof the fasteningsasanelcompletely with-. in a pocket and; are thereforenot removed by the brush. 7

4., A machine for sorting metallic fasteningshav ng a rotary drum arranged to receive fastenings inbulk-and provided with a plurality of shallow fasteningreceiving pockets of dimensions to receive only fasten' ings that are not, l'onger than a predeter'mined length, a, brush to remove from thevicinity of the pockets allfiastenings that are not wholly within a pocket, aretaining plate arrang-ed to retain in the pockets such of the fastenings as are completely within a pocket and are therefore not; removed by the brush, and a receptacle positioned 'to receive the fastenings: from; the pockets as; the rotation of the drum carriesthem beyond the retain-. ing plate. 7 p

In testimony whereof I have signed, my name to thisspecification BAS L: PQMER-Q J COQ E ofthe pockets, as the pocketsmove up during; I

the: rotation of the drum, all fastenings other than those completely within a pocket, a re- 5 taining: plate to prevent theescapeofi'such of-the fastenings-as are completely received.

within the pocketsas they continuetomoVe up during the rotation ofrthe drum, anda re.-. ceptacle. arranged; to receive the. fastenings;

' so as; they pass beyond the retaining: plate.

2'. A machine for. sorting metallic fastenings having, in combination, a-rotary drum providedwith aplurality of'shallow, circu.-. 12w pockets of a diameter to receive onlythose fasteningsthatiarenot longer"than the.- 

